'I can't help you,' Brady said.
'Maybe Miss Glennan saw him.'
'She would've said something about it.'
'I suppose.' Moak shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Standing in front of his horse the reins were over his left shoulder and pulled down in front of him with both hands hanging on the leather straps idly just above his belt line. His coat was open.
When you least expect it, Brady was thinking.
That's when it'll come. His hands felt awkwardly heavy and he wanted to do something with them, but he let them hang, picturing now in his mind his right hand coming up with the Colt, cocking it, firing it. Then swinging it on Russell. Aim, he thought. You have to take your time. You have to hurry and take your time.
Moak shifted his feet again. 'Russell, we might as well go on.' The mounted man said nothing, but he nodded, glancing from Brady to Moak. 'What about it?' Moak said to Brady again. 'Does it suit your complexion to ride with us?'
'I've business with Mr. Glennan,' Brady said.
'He's coming along directly.'
Moak grinned, glancing at Russell again. 'Brady still don't want our company. . . . Well, we'll have to just go on without him.'
Now, Brady thought.
He watched Moak turn, looping the right rein over the horse's head. He moved to the saddle, his left hand holding the reins and now reaching for the saddle horn. He stood close to the horse, about to step into the stirrup. And then was turning, pushing away the saddle as his right hand came out of his coat And as he had practiced it in his mind Brady drew the Colt, thumbed the hammer, brought it to arm's length, saw the shocked surprise of Moak's face over the front sight, saw the flash of metal in his hand, saw him falling away as the metal came up, shifted the front sight inches, all this in one deliberate nerve straining motion and pulled the trigger.
Russell saw the Colt pointed at him then. He shook his head. 'Not me, sonny, this was just Ed's do.' He dismounted and the Colt followed him to where Moak lay sprawled on his back.
'You can still see the surprise,' Russell said.
'He's dead, but he still don't believe it.' He looked at Brady then. 'I warned him. I said you'd be ready and wouldn't get caught on one foot. But all night long he sat rubbing his bad arm and saying what he was going to do to you. Said you'd break up in little pieces with the wait and he'd get you when the right time came.
'Then Albie stole off and come back dead in his saddle. Ed didn't talk for a while. Then he said how he'd ride in at daylight like we didn't know anything about Albie and take you by surprise. I told him again you'd be wide awake, but he wouldn't listen and now he's lying there.'
Brady said, 'You were planning to hold up a mine payroll, weren't you?'
'You can't prove anything like that,' Russell answered.
'Well, it doesn't matter now anyway.'
'Listen, I wasn't with him on this. You can't prove that either.'
'No, now you're on our side, now it's over.'
'I'm not on anybody's side.'
'All right, just get out of here.'
'We'll bury him first,' Russell said. 'Back in the trees there.'
'I'm telling you to get out! Take him and get out of here right now you hear me!'
Russell stared at him, then shrugged and said, 'All right,' quietly. He lifted Moak's body, straining, pushing him belly down up over the saddle; then looked at Brady again and said, 'Why don't you go buy yourself a drink.'
'I'm all right.'
'Sure you are. But it wouldn't do no harm.'
Russell mounted and rode out of the yard leading Moak's horse.
Brady watched them until they were out of sight.
He closed his eyes and he could still see Moak's legs hanging stiffly and his arms swinging and bouncing with the slow jogging motion of the horse and he thought: God have mercy on him. And on Albie.
He holstered the Colt then raised his arm and rubbed his sleeve over his forehead, feeling tired and sweaty and feeling a fullness in his stomach that made him swallow and swallow again. And God help me, he thought.
He heard the girl behind him before he turned and saw her not smiling, but looking at him seriously, with her lips parted, almost frowning, her gaze worried and not moving from his face.
'Are you all right?'
'I guess so.'
Looking at the girl he knew that if he wasn't all right now, at least he would be. In time.
